Vilnis is an engineer by profession, specialising in energy saving for commercial, industrial and public-sector users until his retirement in 2024. A former army reservist and Liberal Democrat district councillor, he has been cartooning since his teenage years and was first published in mainstream media in 2018.

He has been a frequent contributor to Private Eye for several years, has appeared in The Spectator, The Oldie, The Week, Wall Street Journal and Woman’s World, and occasionally does commissioned illustrations.